


Dirty Dancing

by SoapBoxDerby



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Clexa, Dirty Dancing, Dirty Dancing AU, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-04-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:35:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23534647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoapBoxDerby/pseuds/SoapBoxDerby
Summary: Clarke Griffin and her family visit a vacation resort in the summer of 1963. Clarke just wants to spend her summer preparing for senior year, but when the resort's tan-skinned, green-eyed dance instructor gives her an impromptu dance lesson in the staff quarters' steamy living room, Clarke knows she's beyond the point of no return. (Dirty Dancing AU)
Relationships: Clarke Griffin/Lexa
Comments: 36
Kudos: 98





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi friends! I wrote this in 2016 (holy shit that FOUR YEARS AGO) on fanfiction.net when I was first getting into Clexa. I wouldn't say it's exactly reflective of my skills as a writer now, but it's a whole lot of fun and I hope you find some enjoyment out of it! This is kind of a retelling of Dirty Dancing with the 100 characters replacing the original characters. You can read it with or without having seen Dirty Dancing previously! Certain characters' physical descriptions are mildly altered to fit this AU, as well as family relationships.
> 
> Enjoy!

Clarke turned to the next page in her book as the car sped down the dusty North Carolina highway. Her sister, Raven, sat across from her, filing her nails. Her mother sat in the passenger seat with a map, guiding the way for her father, whose callused but gentle hands tapped out beats onto the leather-bound steering wheel of their red Chevy convertible.

"The turn should be up here, Jake," her mother said, pointing to a spot on the map.

"Abby, I can't tell where 'here' is, I'm driving," her father responded with a chuckle, but understanding her meaning. Then, to his daughters, "we should be there in about five minutes, girls."

As their car pulled into Kellerman's, Clarke couldn't help but contain the smile that began to prick at the corners of her mouth. She was excited to be spending her time away from home this summer -- it seemed every other year she was stuck in her bedroom watching Raven go out night after night with a date with whatever boy-toy she'd been seeing at the time. She was ready for a change of pace.

As if on cue, Raven rolled her eyes and sighed as she grabbed her suitcase from the trunk unceremoniously.

"Clarke, we all know all you're going to do here is read books," her older sister grunted as she shifted the luggage to her other hand. "What's the difference whether you do it in your room or in a…" – she swatted at a buzzing mosquito in disgust – "…mosquito infested mountain resort?"

"Because here I don't have to make my own breakfast!" Clarke giggled, popping a stick of bubble gum into her mouth and grabbing her suitcase, tugging with all her might, and turning to the resort.

"Griffins!" a man called, and Clarke turned to look in the direction she heard the voice come from. A gruff man with a suit on (even though it was way too hot for such layers) approached them with a skip in his step.

"Ah, Marcus!" Jake Griffin said, thrusting his hand into the taller gentleman's. "Girls, this is Marcus Kane, my old college roommate. He's the reason we're staying here for free!"

Marcus Kane smiled and nodded.

"The Griffin family is welcome at my home any time."

"Big home," Clarke muttered, gaze reaching out as far as her eyes could see and still not coming close to seeing it all.

"This is my son Finn," Kane smiled, slapping a longhaired, 'model-student' type looking boy on the shoulder. His eyes shifted between Raven and Clarke as if deciding between them and eventually settled on Clarke. He winked. Clarke rolled her eyes.

"He'll take you to your cabin!"

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Clarke sat on the porch of the cabin, the sun having disappeared under the horizon well over a half-hour ago. She shifted for the fifth time, attempting to find the perfect angle to best utilize the dim porch light, eyes straining against the pages of _Crime and Punishment. ___

__Suddenly, the sound of grunting perked her ears and Clarke's eyes shot up. In the darkness, she could barely make out a boy staggering down the walk holding three…_ _

__Were those watermelons?_ _

__She shook her head and stepped up, setting her book on the stairs of the porch._ _

__"Hey, you!" she called out. "Do you need some help?"_ _

__The boy had finally staggered close enough and she smiled sympathetically as she jogged over to him to take one of the watermelons._ _

__"Gee, thanks," he smiled. "I was seriously about to drop one of those, and Lexa would not have been happy about that."_ _

__Clarke wanted to ask who Lexa was, and why they needed three watermelons, but she decided against it as she struggled with the large object in her hands._ _

__"Oh, I'm Bellamy, by the way," the boy smiled, shifting the melons so that he could outstretch his hand. Clarke reached to take it, but he jerked away right before their hands made contact, as he was about to lose one of the oversized fruits to gravity and dirty gravel._ _

__"Sorry," he muttered, cheeks turning red._ _

__"So… where are we going?" Clarke mused._ _

__"Oh, oh you want to help me carry these?" he asked._ _

__Clarke stifled a laugh at his expense._ _

__"Yeah, that's why I took one of them."_ _

__"I was just headed down to the staff quarters. We hold some pretty bitchin' parties after hours, and the dance instructors just go nuts."_ _

__Clarke's lips parted, shocked at his use of language._ _

__"Okay," she said finally. "Yeah, let's go. I needed to stretch my legs anyway."_ _

__The walk was about ten minutes, and Clarke didn't want to know how long it had taken Bellamy to get from the original location of the watermelons all the way to her house._ _

__When the staff quarters came in sight, the sound of roaring music followed not far behind. She recognized the song "Do You Love Me" from her junior prom and couldn't help but shake her hips a little as she and Bellamy hopped up the steps and walked to the front door._ _

__"Okay, Clarke," Bellamy said. "The staff doesn't always take well to guests in the quarters, so lay low till we get to the kitchen, okay?"_ _

__Clarke sighed. Great._ _

__Bellamy opened the double doors and the music she thought was loud became a tidal wave, crashing into her and nearly knocking her down. But she followed closely behind Bellamy as they nudged their way through the crowd towards the kitchen._ _

__She couldn't help stealing a few glances, and what she saw amazed her. Men and women were dancing together, oh yes indeed, they were dancing together, but there was more to it than that. Hips pressed into hips and ground at a steady pace, in rhythmic synchronization. Bodies pressed against bodies, separating only to perform a provocative body roll or to tease a partner. Clarke found her mouth falling open for the second time that day and nearly ran into Bellamy when he stopped at the kitchen door before opening it and letting them in._ _

__After setting the watermelons on the table, the two stood in the kitchen doorway and observed the scene before them. Bellamy snickered at Clarke's shock._ _

__"Can you imagine dancing like this on the main floor?" he joked. "Home of the family fox trot? Jesus, they'd all have heart attacks."_ _

__Clarke knew it was rhetorical, but she shook her head anyway._ _

__Just then, two women burst through the entrance door (which was now on the opposite side of the large room) and were greeted with whoops and cheers. The girls, now the official focal point of the room, laughed with their arms wrapped tightly around each other, and almost immediately they were being ushered in the middle of the dance floor and began to join in the large group dance._ _

__The shock only built up in Clarke. She'd hardly ever seen a man and a woman dance the way that the crowd was moving, but two women? Still, the rest of the staff didn't seem to mind at all, and after the hearty welcome, each of their attention drawn back to their respective partner._ _

__Clarke's eyes couldn't leave the taller brunette. She had a long facial structure and a body second to none Clarke had ever seen. She quietly cursed herself at this – she shouldn't even notice something like that about another girl. Bellamy, however, noticed her gaze and smiled._ _

__"That's my cousin, Lexa Castle," he said, motioning to the girl Clarke's eyes followed. "She's a dance instructor here. You might see her if you sign up for public lessons, but she usually only does private." Bellamy winked at Clarke, and she blushed. "Lexa got me a job as a waiter here. The girl she's with is Octavia Johnson, she's Lexa's dance partner."_ _

__"They look great together," Clarke remarked. Their moves had grown from simple grinding to an actual impromptu dance with swishing skirts and popping hips and kicking legs and so, so much flashing skin…_ _

__"Yeah, you'd think they were a couple, wouldn't you?" Bellamy said in agreement._ _

__"No, I wouldn't," Clarke responded. Not two girls, not in the 60s._ _

__"Well, they're not," Bellamy continued. "Not since we were kids."_ _

__At that moment, Lexa leaned back slightly to make a sort of small platform with her pelvis, lifted up Octavia, and rested the shorter girl on her grinding hips. Clarke was amazed not only at the brazenness of the move but at the dance instructor's sheer ability to support a girl not much smaller than herself with just her lower body. After tossing Octavia back into the air and grabbing her waist, Lexa spun her in just as the song was ending. Applause roared throughout the room as a grinning Lexa looked around, spotted Bellamy, and then spotted Clarke._ _

__The grin melted._ _

__Clarke's heart raced as the instructor stormed over to them. Looking between Bellamy and Clarke, she growled._ _

__"Yo, Bell, what's she doing here?"_ _

__Bellamy pretended to be oblivious as he looked from Lexa to Clarke, then smiled._ _

__"She came with me," Bellamy smiled cockily. "She's with me."_ _

__Clarke wanted to protest, to tell Lexa that the implication of the sentence was all wrong, but she could only manage one pathetic response._ _

__"I carried a watermelon."_ _

__Lexa nodded, eyes squinting at Clarke. Then, she turned on her heels and found an all-too-eager looking boy to grind up against as a new song started to play. Clarke felt disappointment in herself take form in a vicious blush as she turned her gaze up to the ceiling._ _

__"I carried a watermelon??" she repeated pathetically._ _

__Clarke's mouth went dry as she found herself still unable to keep her eyes from Lexa. More specifically the part of Lexa where the most emphasis was being placed – her hips. After a while, Lexa felt someone was watching her and quickly found the blonde's eyes on her. She smiled a sly smile, knowing her ability to drive men as well as women a little crazy. Although the new girl wasn't exactly what you'd call a woman; Lexa had to have had three years on her._ _

__After a bit, Lexa was blatantly staring at Clarke as she pushed her behind against the boy. Clarke had stopped trying to hide her stare. Lexa finally gave up and sauntered over to Clarke, keeping that same rhythm in her hips as she neared and neared the blonde._ _

__They stood watching each other for a moment. Lexa never stopped moving, and Clarke never stopped staring. Finally, the brunette spoke._ _

__"If you're gonna loiter around here, you're gonna have to dance."_ _

__"Oh, no," Clarke started to protest. "I don't-"_ _

__But a warm, slender finger pressed itself to the blonde's lips, silencing her. Lexa's predatory eyes never left Clarke's as she backed up towards the dance floor, using her quieting finger to beckon Clarke to follow._ _

__She followed._ _

__After situating themselves in the center of the floor, Lexa placed her hands on Clarke's shoulders, pushing her down until she bent her knees in kind and they were at the same level._ _

__"Keep your knees bent," Lexa purred, her voice husky and soothing. Clarke thought it might be an aftereffect of alcohol and smoking, but found herself wondering if it could be for another reason entirely. She did as she was told._ _

__"Now lift up," Lexa said, slowly and painfully lifting her hips to show Clarke how. The girls were almost a foot apart, but the blush that crept into Clarke's cheeks was undeniable. "Go on, show me you can do it."_ _

__Clarke willed her hips to buck ever so slightly, and Lexa grinned._ _

__"That's it. Again, only faster."_ _

__Clarke did._ _

__"Now keep doing it, but now add a little swivel. Make circles."_ _

__Clarke started to, and Lexa placed her hands on the blonde's hips – just barely, the long digits ghosting over Clarke's sides and hips and upper thighs. Clarke looked into the brunette's eyes, their green seemingly a shade darker, as the girls continued to move their hips to the music. She didn't realize that Lexa had been inching closer until she felt toned muscles pressing against hers and the unfamiliar feeling of a thigh pressing between her legs._ _

__Clarke continued her movements, but made them gentler, as the warmth pooling at the bottom of her stomach excited her to a point of concern. Lexa grinned and pulled Clarke's arms around her neck. The brunette had at least a half a foot on the other girl, so Clarke almost had to stand on her tiptoes to comply._ _

__"That's good," Lexa kept reassuring. "You're doing good. Now watch this."_ _

__One of Lexa's hands went from Clarke's hip to her back and she eased the smaller girl back, sweeping Clarke around in a giant circle before pulling her back up to meet her gaze._ _

__"That's was fun," Clarke grinned. "Again."_ _

__Lexa complied and continued until it became as regular a part of their routine as the hip swivels. She heard the song was coming to an end and dipped Clarke one last time before pulling her up and spinning her._ _

__Clarke was giddy by the end of the song and eager to thank her teacher for the lesson, but as she blinked the dizziness out of her eyes, she found the dance instructor had vanished, and Bellamy was in the corner with a smirk that made his relation to Lexa more apparent than anything in the world._ _


	2. Chapter 2

Clarke licked her lips for the third time that morning as she tried to forget about the events that had taken place night last night and that gorgeous brunette. She tried to forget the way it felt to grind up against another person, that warm feeling between her legs that she'd never experienced anything like before…

Clarke licked her lips for the fourth time that morning.

"-wouldn't you agree, Clarke?" Abby asked, shooting her daughter a wink.

"Uh… erm, yes?" Clarke stumbled awkwardly.

"Fantastic, I'll pick you up tonight!" cheered a voice. Clarke, in shock, looked up to see Finn smiling down at her.

_Oh god. Did I just agree to a date with him? ___

__Indeed, she had. Finn would pick her up at seven._ _

__She groaned at seven-thirty, realizing there was nothing she could do with her curly hair to make it less frizzy. She tugged on her favorite high-waisted shorts and a blue and white striped top that she tied off just below her belly button, exposing just a little midriff. She stuffed her feet into her favorite pair of keds and wriggled her heels until she was satisfied. She didn't know how, but she had a funny feeling she'd be seeing Lexa again tonight, and she certainly wasn't dressing this way for Finn._ _

__A knock came and Clarke cringed, thinking that it was Finn arriving early. But instead, Raven shot past her from the living room and flung the door open to reveal a tall, dark, rugged-looking boy._ _

__"Hey, Murphy," Raven cooed, kissing the boy's cheek._ _

__Clarke rolled her eyes. Already her older sister was flirting with boys, and they'd hardly been at Kellerman's for a full twenty-four hours. Still, she had to admit that he was easy on the eyes, and she recognized him as a waiter in one of the resort's three restaurants._ _

__"Clarke, don't do anything stupid on your date with Finn, okay?" Raven said condescendingly before slipping out the door._ _

__"Sure thing, sis," Clarke said to herself. She sat and waited on the couch until Finn showed up (which actually ended up being forty-five minutes too late)._ _

__After a stroll along the lake, which was anything but romantic, and a picnic that consisted of apple juice in paper cups and toasted bread, Clarke wasn't dropping hints subtly anymore._ _

__"Listen, Finn," she mumbled. "I'm really tired. Please take me home?"_ _

__"Oh, oh, I get it," Finn said as a light bulb went off in his head. "You're still hungry. Here, come with me to the kitchen."_ _

__Clarke groaned again as she followed Finn into the nearest closed restaurant (which he opened with a key) and lead them into the kitchen._ _

__"Okay, okay," he said, opening the fridge. "Tell me what you want. We got potato salad, ambrosia, chocolate cake…" He paused. "Sweet gherkins?"_ _

__But Clarke wasn't listening. Her attention had fallen on a shadowy figure underneath a metal table in the corner, and from the way the figures shoulders were shaking, they were crying softly. Clarke took a step closer and recognized the face, remembering the shorter brunette that had been dancing with Lexa just the night before without a care in the world._ _

__Octavia._ _

__Looking to Finn, she realized she couldn't let him see the dance instructor like this, knowing how nasty things could get if the boy's father go involved._ _

__"Hey, Finn," Clarke said as she turned her attention back to him. "Um, I feel really gross all of a sudden."_ _

__"Oh, yeah?" he asked. "What's wrong?"_ _

__Clarke thought for a moment, and finally, an answer came to her. It wasn't a lovely answer, but she knew it'd get him off her back. She finally blurted out the lie._ _

__"Cramps!"_ _

__Minutes later, she was racing to the staff's quarters, dodging late-night strollers and a few tipsy teenagers. Finally, she made it to the building. Hurling herself through the unlocked doors, she spotted Bellamy in the corner chatting up a cute redhead. She shook her head and hurried over to him, trying to ignore the sight of Lexa amongst the dancers as she brushed by._ _

__"Bellamy," she uttered in a low voice. He recognized her tension and motioned to his date that he needed a moment. "Bellamy, something's wrong with Octavia."_ _

__Bellamy's eyes went wide. Octavia had been like a sister to him all his life, and he knew the kind of crowd she ran with when he wasn't looking out for her._ _

__"What's wrong?" he pressed when Clarke didn't proceed._ _

__"I dunno, she was in the café kitchen crying under a table."_ _

__Bellamy started to push his way through the crowd, Clarke hot on his heels, and found Lexa. She was spinning a girl into her and lifting her on her right hip just as Bellamy tapped her on the shoulder. She turned, looking agitated._ _

__"What?" she snapped._ _

__"Lex, something's wrong with Octavia."_ _

__Lexa looked between Clarke and then Bellamy and her eyes darkened._ _

__"Take me to her."_ _

__Clarke led the way to the place she'd found Octavia, and her heart broke as Lexa melted to her side to comfort the weeping girl._ _

__"It's okay, baby, I'm here," Lexa cooed to Octavia, who was still sobbing uncontrollably. "I'm here, it's gonna be okay."_ _

__Lexa scooped up her dance partner into her arms, and even with her strength, she staggered slightly before recovering._ _

__"Let's get you somewhere safe."_ _

__Somewhere safe ended up being Lexa's personal cabin a few stone throws away from the staff quarters. Clarke, a training nurse, knew that whatever was wrong with her wasn't a physical ailment._ _

__At least not yet._ _

__After waiting outside, as Lexa refused to let Clarke in, Bellamy opened the door and closed it behind him, leaving himself and Clarke alone._ _

__"'Tavia's pregnant," he whispered under his breath._ _

__"Oh," Clarke uttered. "Um… who's the father?"_ _

__"John Murphy," Bellamy replied, his teeth grinding and fists clenching._ _

__"John Mur… that's my sister's date," Clarke said incredulously. "I can't believe it. That liar!" A pause, then, "How far along is she?"_ _

__"Not very. A month and a half. It won't show for a bit."_ _

__"I'm in a nurse training program at school. Would you like me to take a look at her?"_ _

__"Could you?"_ _

__"Certainly."_ _

__Clarke was led into Lexa's room. She was momentarily struck by the simplistic beauty that met her eyes. Her bed was covered in a cozy-looking knitted quilt, the lace curtains at the window boasted intricate designs, and dance shoes of all types littered the floor._ _

__But Octavia was waiting._ _

__"May I look at you? Carrying a baby can be dangerous without the right medical attention."_ _

__"Jesus, Bell, you told her?!" roared Lexa. "Now she's going to go tattling to her rich little boyfriend and Octavia's gonna get kicked out!"_ _

__"Finn's not my boyfriend," Clarke insisted. "And I wouldn't tell him. I just want to help."_ _

__"Yeah, well you can't," Lexa responded bitterly, looking Clarke up and down as if she'd like nothing more than to chew her up and spit her back out to prove to everyone what a wimp she was. Clarke was fine with that._ _

__"Alright, I'll go," the blonde said, turning to leave. That is, until the sound of Octavia's voice met her ears._ _

__"Clarke, is it?"_ _

__Clarke turned on her heels and nodded. Octavia continued._ _

__"Don't spend your time getting wrapped up in this sort of shit. The kind of people we are… walk away before people start asking you questions and lumping you with us. You can't handle it."_ _

__"You don't know the first thing about me," Clarke insisted._ _

__"We have a performance on Thursday," Octavia said, now to Lexa. "The routine isn't safe, what if I fell or lost my balance? And anyways, my costume would make it more obvious. They might find out."_ _

__"You could get an abortion," Lexa offered gently, voice laced with uncertainty. Clarke's mouth fell. It was the 1960s -- abortions still weren't safe, and they were far from legal._ _

__"An… abortion?"_ _

__"Yeah," Lexa shrugged. "You'd keep your job."_ _

__"There's a clinic that does them about thirty miles from here," Bellamy piped up helpfully. "Only problem is they only operate on Thursdays."_ _

__Octavia let out an ironic, bitter laugh._ _

__"You could find a replacement," Bellamy shrugged. "Take the day on Thursday to go to the clinic while your replacement dances with Lex."_ _

__Lexa tilted her head and pressed her lips together._ _

__"Indra and Charlotte are both booked on Thursday."_ _

__"Why not use Clarke?" Bellamy offered. Clarke's eyes widened._ _

__"Hell no, Bell," Lexa responded. "This twig can't dance."_ _

__Clarke was about to get defensive, but she realized that she didn't want to dance in front of a crowd with Lexa any more than Lexa wanted her to. So instead, she sided with the other girl._ _

__"I can't even dance the merengue."_ _

__"See that?" Lexa continued. "She can't even dance the merengue."_ _

__"You said yourself she's a skinny little twig," Bellamy said. "She could do the lifts no problem."_ _

__"Bellamy, I can't," Clarke whispered._ _

__"Wait," Octavia piped up from the bed. "Don't I get a say in this?"_ _

__"Depends," Lexa ground out, eyes never leaving Clarke. "What exactly is your say?"_ _

__"Lexa, you're an incredible partner," Octavia continued. Clarke could tell the slight change in Lexa's posture as her chest puffed in pride. "You could teach anyone to dance. I could help, and Bellamy's right for once. Her small frame could make her really good at the lifts."_ _

__Lexa looked deep in angry thought. Thursday was four days away. If she said yes, she would risk making a fool out of herself in front of two hundred people. If she said no, Octavia's entire career was in jeopardy. Taking in a deep breath, she turned to Clarke._ _

__"Clarke, is it?" Lexa asked. Clarke nodded. "Clarke. Even if you could do this, we don't have the money to pay for the operation."_ _

__"My dad can afford it, I won't tell him what it's for," Clarke responded._ _

__"He'd do that for you?" Bellamy questioned._ _

__"Of course," Clarke replied. "We trust each other."_ _

__Octavia rolled her eyes from the bed, then looked at Lexa, her expression changing from annoyed to pleading. Lexa took in a deep breath._ _

__"Be here at eight tomorrow morning," Lexa spat, gesturing to her room._ _

__Clarke nodded, then really took a moment to take in Kellerman's head dance instructor. She was nothing like the person she'd been just yesterday in the staff quarters' living room – lively, radiant, care-free – this Lexa was exhausted, anxious, terrified._ _

__"Whatever I can do to help."_ _

__Clarke turned around to leave. As she opened and closed the door and inhaled the night air, she thought back to last night's dance lesson with Lexa. It had been so intimate and heated; she only hoped that the dance lessons over the next four days would be like that, and not like the encounter they'd just had._ _

__As she took a step forward, she heard the door open and close behind her. She turned on her heels just in time for her gaze to fall to a pair of green irises. Looking closely, she could swear she saw a small pool of tears in each of them. Then a hand was grabbing hers and gripping tightly, and Lexa spoke._ _

__"Thank you."_ _


	3. Chapter 3

~DAY 1~

Before the sun had even begun to peek above the horizon, Clarke was awake and stretching. Despite the interaction with Lexa from the previous night, she was determined to find that sensual, encouraging girl that had taught her a few simple dances her first night at the resort. She went to breakfast as early as possible (the restaurants opened for the early birds at 7) and was walking to Lexa's cabin at 7:20.

Clarke walked up the steps and took in a deep breath before knocking on the door.

No one answered.

She knocked again, then again, and then began pounding before she heard a soft thud, a loud 'shit!' and finally the sound of a deadbolt sliding out of place. The door opened.

Clarke had to work extremely hard to keep her jaw from falling open.

There, before her, was Lexa, in a tight black tank top, skin-tight black leggings that cut off mid-calf, and tousled brown hair that looked way too good for bedhead.

"Hey," Clarke breathed. "Morning."

"Mmm, no," Lexa mused, gesturing for Clarke to come in and padding back into her room to grab her shoes. "If it were a good morning, you wouldn't be here and I wouldn't be up at eight am."

"You were the one who told me to-"

But Clarke was cut short, for right before her, Lexa was tugging her leggings down from her hips and sliding them off.

"Oh, uhh…"

Lexa grabbed a pair of black jeans and explained to Clarke as she hoisted herself into them.

"I don't do all the flexible stuff, I do the heavy lifting."

Clarke nodded, finally remembering that it was decent to turn away when someone was taking their clothes off in front of you.

"Oh, while we're changing…"

_While we're changing! ___

__"…you can't wear that in my rehearsals."_ _

__Clarke looked down at her clothes. She was wearing another pair of high-waisteds with a denim shirt._ _

__"What's wrong with it?"_ _

__"The shorts are fine," Lexa shrugged, "as long as you can spread your legs in them."_ _

___Spread my-! ____ _

____"But," Lexa continued, "that shirt's going to be too constricting. Here."_ _ _ _

____Lexa tossed Clarke one of her tank tops. Clarke realized that she meant for her to change into the shirt, but Lexa wasn't turning around. Uneasily, Clarke unbuttoned the denim shirt she wore until it was completely open. Lexa continued to watch, and the blonde swore she saw the other girl's tongue dash out and wet her bottom lip as she slid the offending material off of her shoulders and pulled on the stretchy tank top._ _ _ _

____"Good," Lexa smirked. "Now, let's dance."_ _ _ _

____The first four hours consisted of Lexa trying desperately (and failing miserably) to keep her patience with a flustered Clarke as she tried to teach her the mamba. After a short break for food, water, and pee, Lexa grabbed Clarke's wrist and pulled her into the center of the room._ _ _ _

____"Clarke," she said. "You're not feeling it. You need to feel it." She reached out and touched Clarke squarely in the chest. "In here. Dancing is a rhythm. Like a heartbeat. You have to feel it flow through your body. Here, let's try something."_ _ _ _

____Lexa took Clarke's hand and placed it on her own chest. Clarke felt the steady heartbeat and smiled at the feeling, wanting at that moment to lean her head down and press her cheek to the beating war drums. Instead, though, she felt the heart underneath her palm. She visualized the mamba, she visualized the steps, and she visualized Lexa. Just as Clarke was stepping her left foot forward, Lexa was sending her right foot back, and suddenly they were dancing in perfect synchronization._ _ _ _

____"Two three four, two three four," Lexa chimed as they stepped. "Two three four, breathe, two three four, two three four."_ _ _ _

____Clarke smiled, Lexa's embrace feeling warmer by the second._ _ _ _

____~DAY 2~_ _ _ _

____"Goddammit, Clarke, lock your frame!" Lexa roared. "Look at this; spaghetti arms! Lock your frame, Clarke."_ _ _ _

____After just one rehearsal with Lexa, Clarke already felt comfortable enough to rehearse in just a bra, and that's exactly what she was doing. And if Lexa was being perfectly honest, she wasn't complaining one bit. Clarke may have been small, but she had an incredibly toned body. Still, she refused to let her student's beauty distract her as she tried desperately to teach her the right way._ _ _ _

____"This is your dance space, Clarke," Lexa explained as she forced Clarke's arms up into a circle facing out from her. "And this is my dance space. I don't go into yours, you don't go into mine. Now, again."_ _ _ _

____Octavia, who had been watching patiently beside the pair, stepped forward, putting Lexa and Clarke into each other's arms, knowing that if she left the task up to Lexa she'd be too violent and if she left it to Clarke she'd do it all wrong. Then, once they were in position, Octavia went behind Clarke, put her hands on her hips, and started to dance her part behind her, guiding her into the right moves._ _ _ _

____"Good job, Clarke," Octavia whispered in her ear. "Lexa thinks so, too, you're just not perfect yet so she's not going to tell you."_ _ _ _

____Lexa shot a glare at her old dance partner, then focused her attention back on the new one._ _ _ _

____After a few hours, they practiced spins. Needless to say, Clarke fell into Lexa's arms more times than she could count, and she wasn't going to lie -- some of them were intentional falls. But the brunette was always there to catch her, and Octavia was always there to placate her partner if she ever started to get too frustrated._ _ _ _

____~DAY 3~_ _ _ _

____"Today we're focusing on footwork and our intro," Lexa said as Clarke stepped into her room. Clarke was surprised to see the taller girl in her bra, instead of her usual tank top. But Octavia nodded her encouragement towards Clarke, so she walked forward and let Lexa instruct her._ _ _ _

____The first thing that Lexa did in the number was to wrap her arms around Clarke from behind. Clarke was to then raise her left arm in the air, trace it down the side of Lexa's face as Lexa trailed her arm down Clarke's side, and then spin out to start the dance. Well, the arms wrapping around the waist went all right. There was no issue with Clarke raising her arm into the air nor was there in tracing her hand down Lexa's face. No, the problem arose when Lexa's arm began to trail down Carke's arm and then her side. Every time she got to the underside of Clarke's forearm, the blonde would erupt into a fit of giggles, without fail, and it was just about starting to wear out Lexa._ _ _ _

____"Look, Clarke, this is how!" Lexa cried, pulling Octavia over and doing it with the other brunette._ _ _ _

____Seeing Lexa touching Octavia the exact way she'd just touched Clarke released something in the smallest girl. She couldn't tell if it was jealousy or determination, but whatever it was, it kept her from laughing the next time she tried the dance move with her teacher._ _ _ _

____~DAY~ 4_ _ _ _

____Clarke stopped halfway up the stairs to Lexa's cabin. She pulled out her small mirror and lipstick from her capris and dabbed the waxy substance onto her lips. She observed, proud of her handiwork. She then danced her way up the steps, wanting to get in the practice before having to present it to Lexa._ _ _ _

____The first thirty minutes she danced with Octavia, as the latter was certain that with the right encouragement Clarke could really be quite good. She was right. Without Lexa's constant outbursts, Clarke was able to concentrate better and work through the entire routine she'd learned with almost no slip-ups. It also gave her slave-driver of an instructor a chance to see just how attractive her student's movements had become. Lexa thought back to that day she'd taught Clarke to grind, thought of how it felt to have a part of her between her legs, and had to lick her lips to maintain control…_ _ _ _

____Finally, Octavia handed over the girl to Lexa, and Lexa was ready to spend their last day of preparation working hard._ _ _ _

____"Don't put your heel down," Lexa commanded in the middle of rehearsal. "Don't- don't put your heel down!"_ _ _ _

____"I'm not!" Clarke shot back._ _ _ _

____"Okay, okay, maybe enough rehearsal for today?" Octavia offered, putting her hands up and coming between the two._ _ _ _

____"No, 'Tavia, our performance is tomorrow, and we haven't practiced the lift hardly at all."_ _ _ _

____'The Lift' was what Lexa referred to as the single most terrifying thing Clarke had ever encountered. They tried it once and nearly _died. _Clarke was to run up to Lexa, and Lexa was to put her hands on Clarke's sides and hurl into the air, supporting her by her hips, while Clarke straightened out to look like she was flying. Lexa would then ease her back down into her arms.___ _ _ _

______"Then practice the lift and be done for today."_ _ _ _ _ _

______Clarke worried her bottom lip between her teeth and Lexa sighed, realizing how harsh she'd been._ _ _ _ _ _

______"I'll take it from here, Octavia," she said, wrapping her arms around her friend and gesturing for her to leave. Clarke smiled as Lexa then turned to her._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Best place to practice a lift is in the lake," Lexa grinned, and Clarke's heart fluttered in anticipation and excitement._ _ _ _ _ _

______After stripping to just their underwear, the two girls slipped into the cool water and successfully completed the lift four whole times. The laughter and jokes shared between them were ones they would cherish for the rest of their lives._ _ _ _ _ _

______That night, the night before the competition, Clarke didn't sleep well at all. After waking up at two and lying in bed for an hour, she realized she was up for the day. Swearing to herself, she slipped out of her room and padded downstairs to make a cup of tea._ _ _ _ _ _

______As she sipped her tea and sat at the counter, she looked out the kitchen window into the still dark early morning. For the first time, she realized she could see the lake from the window. Thinking back to yesterday, she smiled sweetly. Lexa had actually praised her, had actually joked with her and smiled at her._ _ _ _ _ _

______Lexa._ _ _ _ _ _

______Without thinking, Clarke grabbed the nearest sweater she could find and waddled out the door, still barefoot, and with only one destination in mind._ _ _ _ _ _

______All of the lights in Lexa's cabin were out, as Clarke had figured they would be. Clarke lifted up the mat in front of the small structure to find the key she'd been told was there for emergencies and opened the door. Slipping into the small room, the familiar smell of Lexa – lavender, vanilla, and the undeniable but not unpleasant scent of sweat – filled her nose. She breathed in deeply and walked over to Lexa's bed where the girl slept._ _ _ _ _ _

______She stretched out her hand to rest on her teacher's shoulder and shake gently. Lexa was awake in seconds, instinctively grabbing Clarke, flipping her onto the bed, and mounting her, ready to attack. While the action terrified Clarke, she couldn't say she didn't like being underneath the other woman._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Clarke?" Lexa muttered incredulously as realization dawned on her face. "What are you doing here?"_ _ _ _ _ _

______"Um, I couldn't sleep," Clarke responded. "Could you, uh, could you get off me?"_ _ _ _ _ _

______Lexa's cheeks turned bright red and she was suddenly very glad she had almost complete darkness to cloak her face as she – for lack of better work – dismounted the blonde._ _ _ _ _ _

______"So why'd you come here?" Lexa asked as she sat down normally on the bed next to Clarke._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Well, I don't know exactly. All I know is I'm nervous."_ _ _ _ _ _

______Lexa frowned, not really sure how to help in situations like this. This was always the sort of thing Octavia was good at. But Lexa laid back against her pillow and gestured for Clarke to follow. So follow Clarke did. She rested her head on the brunette's chest and her eyes fluttered shut as she felt that soft, feathery beat of a heart behind a rib cage. The sound, as well as the sensation of Lexa's fingers dancing along her spine, lulled Clarke into a safe, comfortable sleep._ _ _ _ _ _


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hang in there friends!! This one's nice and juicy ;)

The sun had begun to stream through Lexa's lacey curtains, but it hadn't woken her. In fact, Lexa hadn't fallen back to sleep at all after being woken up at three am by her prodigy. Instead, she gazed down at the younger woman, whose arm was draped unceremoniously across Lexa's stomach, head resting on the brunette's chest, as the sunlight illuminated her blonde tendrils from behind. Lexa let herself smile – after all, the girl was asleep.

Not for long.

Clarke stirred and Lexa realized that she had been stroking the golden locks in question that were splayed out on her chest. Chastising herself internally, she sucked in a deep breath as bright blue eyes opened and immediately sought hers.

Lexa hadn't the time to erase the smile playing on her lips, and Clarke's heart fluttered. It was the first time she'd seen the brunette smile at her (besides the knowing smirk she'd grace her with when she swayed her hips seductively).

"Morning," Lexa purred, absentmindedly continuing to stroke Clarke's hair. Clarke not so absentmindedly wrapped her arms tighter around Lexa's torso.

"Morning," Clarke responded. "When, uh… when do we perform?"

Lexa's smile melted. Clarke kicked herself for chasing away the beautiful new feature.

"One," she muttered.

Clarke nodded as she eased herself up, her muscles screaming at her in pain.

"Thanks for letting me crash here last night," Clarke said as a blush crept into her cheeks. "I didn't mean to be a burden."

"You weren't a burden at all," Lexa assured, twirling a lock of her own hair as she gazed up from her position against the headboard.

"I, um... I should go."

Clarke stood to get up from her position, hoping to read for a few hours and rest before the performance.

"Wait, Clarke," Lexa jumped, sitting up and grabbing the blonde's wrist. Clarke looked back eagerly in anticipation, but then Lexa shook her head.

"Try to get some practice in. I'll pick you up at noon."

"How do you know where I live?" Clarke asked, curiosity masking her disappointment.

Lexa winked.

"I have my ways."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Clarke tugged on her red dress, tight in the bodice and flaring out from the waist down. The blue eyeshadow and dark red lipstick were a bit much, she thought, but when she'd gone to Raven asking to do her makeup, her older sister was more than willing to comply. Clarke had stood there patiently as little brushes and sponges tickled her face. Then, she waited.

She waited and waited while her sister went to the beach in her high-waisted swimsuit.

She waited and waited while her mother went to bingo.

She waited and waited while her father looked at her with a quirked eyebrow, then left to go to a dance class (which was not being taught by Octavia, as she'd left for the abortion that her father unknowingly was paying for).

Clarke was ready early. So was Lexa – the knock came at 11:45.

Clarke opened the door and she took in the woman before her. Lexa stood there in black character shoes (making her now unfairly taller than Clarke), tight black pants that hugged all of her curves perfectly, and a white blouse that dipped low enough for an unfair amount of cleavage to be exposed. While the getup certainly would make the audience understand that Lexa was dancing the male part, it was far from masculine. In fact, Clarke didn't think she'd ever seen her instructor look so feminine before – and she'd seen her in a dress.

"You look nice," Lexa stammered, hands shoved in her pockets.

"You too," Clarke responded with a soft smile.

The walk to Lexa's car was treacherous. While neither girl ever had much of a problem walking in pumps, the rain that had come the night before made the ground muddy and perfect for capturing and sucking in the heels.

They finally made it to the staff lot, where Lexa walked up to a beautiful Chevy Impala and smiled proudly.

"This is yours?" Clarke asked incredulously.

"Yup," Lexa grinned. "Got her when I graduated high school."

"When… when was that?" Clarke asked less than conspicuously. Lexa noticed and shot her a look.

"Two years ago."

So Clarke was right, Lexa was twenty. That meant she wasn't legal…

Then again, neither was she because of the obvious fact that they were both women, and Clarke mentally scolded herself for the fiftieth time that week. What a thought to have!

"Well, let's go," Lexa insisted, interrupting Clarke from her thoughts. Taking out her keys, she unlocked the car and opened the passenger door for Clarke, then climbed into the driver's seat.

After arriving at the location (which was at a sister resort a few miles away), Lexa pulled Clarke into the backstage area five minutes before showtime.

"What if I forget the moves?" Clarke asked, her heart racing. "What if… what if I can't do the lift?"

"Listen to me, Clarke," Lexa soothed, putting her hands on either side of Clarke's face to calm her. The action had the desired effect. "You can do the stupid lift. Clarke, you've grown so much. You can do this dance backwards in your sleep. I have every faith that you're going to do a superb job. But right now I need you to pull yourself together. Listen to me."

Lexa took Clarke's right hand in her own and placed it on the blonde's chest. Her heart was racing. Then, she moved her student's hand and placed it on her own chest. The instructor's heart was racing, too.

"You're not the only one who gets nervous, Clarke," Lexa breathed. "You just have to learn to control it."

Lexa then placed her own hand on Clarke's chest and pressed their foreheads together. The two dancers stood there, feeling each other's hearts beat and breathing in the same air. Their paces seemed to slow down in synchronization until they were calm and collected. Just as their eyes were opening to look at each other, just as Clarke started to lean in and just as Lexa was starting to tilt her head to the side, the stage manager hurried up to them.

"It's time," he said, interrupting the gentleness of the moment and immediately erecting Lexa's posture.

"You can do this, Clarke," Lexa assured her before they walked onstage in the pitch darkness. An announcer's voice spoke up.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the voice said, "for your entertainment at the Sheldrake Hall: Lexa Castle and partner dancing Johnny's Mambo!"

The lights snapped on and Clarke couldn't help but stare at the size of the crowd. Her heart started to beat quickly again in terror as Lexa's arms wrapped around her from behind.

"You can do this, Clarke," she assured again as her hands got into position and the girls performed their slow-paced intro. "You can do this."

Then, the music picked up and Lexa's arm snapped Clare away from her and spun her back in, beginning the fast-paced partner dance.

Things were going smoothly. A few mistakes were made, but somehow Clarke had managed not to fall on her face or trip Lexa.

And then came the lift.

Clarke knew she wouldn't be able to execute from the moment she saw Lexa walk to the other end of the stage in preparation. Even with Lexa whispering encouragements in her ear right before the two broke away, Clarke knew. She mouthed at Lexa across the stage.

I can't.

Lexa's eyebrows furrowed as she mouthed back.

You will.

Clarke didn't. She ran up to Lexa in preparation and she screeched to halt before she could leap into the taller woman's arms. It didn't look like a mistake to the audience so much as just... an anticlimactic movement. Lexa shook her head and growled under her breath as she picked up Clarke's slack and they continued the dance.

Finally, they struck their final pose and were met with hearty applause. They bowed to all angles and waved as Lexa pulled her offstage.

"Oh, God," Clarke cried, about ready to burst into tears.

"You were great, kid," Lexa said. She didn't say it with much emotion, but she meant it. Even though Clarke had dropped the ball on the lift, she kept going. And she did well. Lexa had to give credit where credit was due.

"Real great."

The drive home was different from the drive up. Clarke jumped into the back seat to change into regular clothes while Lexa drove up front.

"Oh my gosh, did you see the size of the crowd?" Clarke gushed. Lexa smiled and shook her head in the front seat. Her smile disappeared as she took in the glance in the rearview to see that Clarke was taking her shirt off, and the braw she was wearing was not the large wrapped bra that she'd sometimes rehearsed in, but a tiny lacey bra that made Lexa's eyes bulge and her heart skip and a warm, familiar feeling pool between her legs.

Shit, she thought.

Their jovial mood (and the slight but growing tension between them) was ruined, however, when they got back to the staff's quarters at night to find a very anxious Bellamy.

"Jesus, Lex, how long does a five-mile drive take?!" he demanded. "Listen, the abortion was a botch. They got the baby, but it was some back ally guy who didn't know what he was doing. Lex, he really messed up Octavia."

Lexa literally pushed Bellamy aside, along with everyone else in her way, as she raced up the stairs to where she knew Octavia's room was. Clarke hurried up the stairs behind her and entered to find Octavia in bed. She was drenched in sweat, pale as a ghost, and heaving in pain. Clarke understood more than most her age when it came to medical practice, but she was at a desperate loss here.

She needed her mother.

"Octavia?" Lexa pressed, dropping to her side and cradling her head. "Are you okay? What happened? We need a doctor, Clarke. We need a-"

"They'll find out what happened and take my job, Lex," Octavia grunted out in protest.

"My mother," Clarke responded, finding the perfect answer. "My mother's a doctor. She can help us."

"How can we be certain she won't rat us out?" Lexa growled.

"We can't," Clarke answered, eyebrows knitting together. "But you really don't have another choice."

And that was how Abby Griffin ended up in Octavia's room with an anxious Lexa, Bellamy, and Clarke all pacing outside the door. As soon as it opened, all three of them rushed up to her.

"She'll be fine, she's resting," Abby assured them. "You can see her now."

Bellamy and Lexa rushed into the cabin while Abby closed the door behind them, turning to speak to her daughter in private. She crossed her arms.

"So this is where your father's and my hard-earned money went?" Abby began. "This is where you've been spending your time? And the people you've been giving it to?"

"Mom, I-"

"Clarke, I don't want to hear it. Spending your time with scrappy boys and dykes is no way an aspiring doctor should spend her summer."

At that moment, Lexa threw the door open, lips pressed tightly together and eyes swimming with betrayal. If Clarke had to guess, she'd heard Abby's words from the other side of the door. Abby, for her credit, sighed with a twinge of remorse, turning back to her daughter.

"You're not to see these people anymore, we're going home."

Abby turned to leave, then called back to Clarke.

"And take that makeup off, you look like a harlequin."

When she was gone, Clarke turned back to Lexa, whose angry expression she knew was just a cover. Lexa was hurt.

"Lexa, I'm so-"

"Just go, Clarke," Lexa interrupted, not looking back into Clarke's eyes. "Wouldn't want you spending too much time with us scrappy dykes, we might rub off on you."

Clarke left as quickly as she could.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

She couldn't stay away for long. When her family was finally in bed (and thank God they were the early-to-bed kind of people), she slipped out of her house and headed to Lexa's cabin. The path had become so familiar to her, she hardly had to focus at all, letting her attention stray to other, more pressing matters -- matters such as Lexa Castle.

She arrived and knocked – this time Lexa's lights were on. The radio was blasting and Clarke peeked in the window to see Lexa aggressively executing sets of pushups and crunches. Her t-shirt wasn't that tight, but the sweat it was drenched in caused it to cling to her body, and Clarke couldn't deny that angry Lexa was also very, very sexy Lexa.

She knocked, and waited for the music to stop. The door opened and Lexa stood for a second, panting and staring at Clarke, before stepping aside to let the blonde in. She reached to shut off the radio, but Clarke shook her head.

"Leave it on."

Lexa did as she was told, but turned it down so she could listen to whatever it was Clarke was sure had to be said at 11 o'clock at night, in her room, while she was trying to work out.

"I'm sorry. About my mother."

"No, no. Your mother was great. The way she took care of Octavia…"

"I mean the way she was with you," Clarke explained. "Lexa, I came here because my mother-"

"No, the way she saved 'Tavia – I could never do anything like that. That was something. People treat me like I'm nothing because I am nothing."

"That's not true," Clarke countered. "You're everything."

"You don't understand the way it is for somebody like me," Lexa pressed on. "Last month I'm eating candy to stay alive. This month, nasty, pervy men are stuffing diamonds in my pockets for private 'dance lessons.' I've never known anyone like you. You think you can make the world better. Somebody's lost, you find them. Somebody's bleeding, you got your mom. That took a lot of guts to go get her! You're not scared of anything."

"I'm scared of everything!" Clarke insisted. "I'm scared of what I saw! I'm scared of what I did, who I am! I'm scared of walking out of here and never feeling for the rest of my life the way I feel…"

She paused and swallowed, gathering up the courage to speak her next words.

"…the way I feel when I'm with you."

Lexa looked up from her position seated on the bed, surprise in her eyes. She stood and walked over to the radio, wanting something to distract herself, to keep her from jumping the blonde. She started switching through channels until it landed on a song she liked. A soft song, a lulling song. She turned back to Clarke, her heart beating faster than it had earlier before their performance.

"Dance with me," Clarke murmured.

"What, here?" Lexa asked.

Clarke nodded.

"Like we have this week?"

Clarke shook her head.

Lexa understood and stepped forward to take the smaller girl in her arms. She slid her hands along Clarke's slides as the younger girl's hips began to swivel. Lexa responded in kind as the two began to dance the way they had when they'd first met. Clarke slid her arms around Lexa's neck and tilted her head back, her body following, as Lexa dipped her around in a circle and eased her back up. This time when the taller girl's leg found its way between hers, Clarke didn't ease up on her movements.

Lexa's hands worked their way into blonde locks as their movements became stronger, full of need, and Clarke's lips found a sharp jawline, peppering still-damp skin with gentle kisses. Lexa's hands smoothly slid down Clarke's back and grasped her ass tightly. Clarke's head titled back gently and a soft breath escaped her lips. Their movements continuing, their eyes locked on each other, Lexa's eyes asked if it was really what Clarke wanted. The latter gave a brisk nod. Lexa then leaned in gently and captured the shorter girl's lips in her own.

Clarke responded eagerly, her hands grasping at Lexa's rolling hips and pulling them tighter to her own. The kiss was soft, loving, considerate, and everything Clarke hoped her first kiss would be. But it didn't last, and eventually, the tip of Clark's tongue was teasing at Lexa's bottom lip, begging for entry, and Clarke could feel Lexa pushing her backward until the backs of her knees hit the bed. Clarke let it push her back, and she lay sprawled out, defenses down, as she eyed at the woman above her. Lexa gazed at her, slowly lowering herself onto the younger girl.

"Clarke?" Lexa asked.

Clarke nodded and kissed the girl above her, kissed her until she could kiss her no more. As the two women found a rhythm, the bliss that swept over Clarke numbed her mind. Lexa taught her that night how to love another woman, and Clarke had never been a more eager student for her teacher.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos? Reviews? Bookmarks? My kryptonite.


	5. Chapter 5

Clarke's eyes fluttered open. Looking out the window, she could see the sun was only barely starting to come up – the sky was a dark shade of blue and there was a tiny flame of pink peeking yet over the horizon. Still, she knew that if she wanted her parents to believe she'd slept in her own room, she needed to get going.

Tilting her head up, she stole a look at her instructor. Clarke smiled, realizing how peaceful Lexa looked when she slept. Deciding she could stay for a moment longer, she lowered her head onto her lover's chest and took in a deep breath.

Lexa stirred beneath her and let out a soft grunt.

"Clarke," she grumbled. "I was sleeping."

"And I was appreciating how beautiful you look while you sleep," Clarke defended, reaching up and pecking the brunette on the lips. "Unfortunately, I need to go if I want to get home before my parents wake up."

Lexa's brow furrowed.

"But Claaaaaarke," she protested, latching onto the blonde and burying her face in the crook of her neck. "I don't want you to leave."

"I don't want to leave, either, Lexa, but-"

But she couldn't quite finish, because a pair of soft, pink, sweet lips were peppering feathery kisses along her neck and shoulder. Her head titled back to give Lexa more access as she felt the familiar pang of pleasure in her chest, one Lexa had made her all too aware of many times the night prior.

"Lexa," Clarke murmured. " _Lexa_."

"Do you want me to stop?" the brunette teased, forcing Clarke to look into her eyes. Clarke thought for a moment, then let a smile creep into her features.

"No."

If it hadn't been for Lexa's little shenanigans that morning, perhaps Clarke would've made it back in time before her parents woke up, and perhaps her mother wouldn't have felt the need to make the announcement at breakfast that she made.

"We're leaving tomorrow morning," Abby Griffin said. It was to the whole family, but her gaze fell on Clarke as if to remind her that this was all her doing.

"What? Why?" Raven wined. "I was going to sing at the end-of-summer talent show. There's three more weeks, we can't leave tomorrow!"

"Abby," Jake said, reaching across the table to take his wife's hand. "What's the rush? Why not stay, we're here for free, remember?"

"What?!" Finn said, rushing over. "No, no, no! You can't go! I haven't-! Uhh..." He looked at Clarke, then turned bright pink.

"Um… I need Clarke for props for the talent show!"

Clarke rolled her eyes.

"I'm not interested, Finn."

She didn't specify whether she meant in doing props or in doing him, but anyone within earshot knew her meaning. He frowned and stepped away quickly, tail tucked between his legs.

"It was just an idea," Abby sighed. Still, she shot a wary glance in Clarke' direction and Clarke understood what it meant.

Serving a table across the room stood John Murphy, his eyes catching Clarke's gaze. She glared at him as he licked his lips and made a slight profane gesture in Raven's direction. Clarke stood up, ready to hurl herself across the room at him, but her sister and mother caught her on either arm.

"Clarke, what's going on?" Abby insisted. "Why are you behaving this way?"

Clarke shook her head.

"Mom, I have to go."

Raven let go of Clarke's arm when she saw Murphy making sweet faces at her, buying into his lies, and Clarke was left alone with her mother again. Abby grabbed her daughter's wrist and tugged her into the corner of the restaurant.

"Clarke, where were you this morning?" Abby insisted, though she was sure she knew the answer. "You didn't sleep in our cabin, so where were you, where'd you sleep?"

"I slept at Lexa's," Clarke said simply, then she turned on her heels and stormed out the door. Abby stood there, dumbstruck, as she walked her daughter push the door and disappear from sight.

"What was that all about?" Jake asked, still cutting into his home fries and dipping them in ketchup. Abby sat down with her husband and eldest and shook her head.

"You know something, Jake? I don't know."

Clarke stormed down the path that lead through "town." In the distance, she saw Lexa coming down the walk, and Clarke picked up her pace. Lexa noticed and picked up her pace as well, worrying that something was wrong. Their speed only continued to increase until they were practically running at each other, until finally Clarke launched herself into the taller woman's arms.

"Clarke?" Lexa asked, gripping onto her tightly. "Are you alright? Baby, talk to me."

"We need to go somewhere private," Clarke said urgently, ignoring Lexa's concern. Lexa nodded and took the blonde's wrist, pulling her into the dance studio that she was in charge of running every day. No one came in unless a lesson was scheduled, and she had two hours until her next session with a client.

As soon as the door was shut, Lexa turned to Clarke.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "Are you hurt? Are you-"

Clarke silenced her with an urgent kiss, the soft, timid shyness that was so present just last night thrown out the window as she pushed her teacher against a mirror-covered wall. Lexa's grunt of surprise was replaced with a moan of pleasure as Clarke's hand slipped under her waistband and tickled her hips with the tips of her fingers.

"Clarke," Lexa husked as the blonde gently drug her teeth along a slender collarbone. "Someone might find us – not here."

"I can't go to your cabin anymore, my mother's onto me," Clarke explained as she undid the button holding up Lexa's pants. Lexa felt the pleasure building in her, but she knew they shouldn't be doing this right now, in this place.

"Then we'll find another time and place, Clarke," Lexa pleaded. "Baby, please…"

Clarke mistook what exactly Lexa meant by 'please,' and instead of relenting, she simply tugged down the taller woman's black jeans, grinned up at her, and made her way down, reveling in the way she made Lexa's eyes roll back, then handing the control over to her when the brunette decided to return the favor.

Of course, neither girl had paid any note to the plastic blinds that canted downwards in the corner, allowing just enough visibility into the room for John Murphy to peek in from outside with a sly smirk.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

It was Lexa's turn to throw herself at Clarke.

Clarke had decided to sit in on Lexa's private dance lesson with a pervy, disrespectful man named Pike. She remembered what Lexa had told her about the middle-aged, horny men at Kellerman's, and she remembered what they'd sometimes ask her to do, and Clarke decided she was not going to let that happen anymore. So she sat in on Lexa's private dance lesson with this Mr. Pike, much to the older man's displeasure.

And so Clarke watched as Lexa instructed the man, imitating to the side of them the moves she already knew far too well – swaying her hips more than necessary, biting her lip when 'concentrating,' tilting her chin up and exposing her neck in frustration when she'd 'forget' a move – until finally, Lexa's time slot with Pike was up.

But before Lexa could gather up her lover in her arms and set her up on that ballet bar and pleasure her until she shook, Clarke pressed a twenty dollar bill against the taller woman's chest.

"What's this?" Lexa snickered.

Clarke grinned and bit her lip again before slipping it between Lexa's breast and bra.

"I'd like a dance lesson please."

Lexa rolled her eyes.

"Come on, Clarke, you don't need one."

"And you don't need to stare at my ass all day, but you want to," Clarke responded, slinking over to the radio to put on a song, finally settling on 'Love is Strange' by Mickey and Sylvia.

Lexa cocked an eyebrow. This was the first time she'd heard Clarke swear (besides the night prior, but that didn't count – the poor girl couldn't help herself). But she pressed the money further into her bra before walking towards Clarke to take the girl in her arms.

"Let's dance, hot pants," she quipped, and they did.

Well, Clarke did. Lexa took every opportunity she got to move her head down Clarke's body, peppering her exposed, toned belly in warm kisses.

"Give me some tension, please!" Clarke cried, pulling Lexa back up to her and imitating the voice that her instructor used when first holding dance classes in her tiny cabin. "Look at this; spaghetti arms!"

It was true, Lexa wasn't trying. Well, she was trying, she was just trying to do something that wasn't dancing. She groaned in frustration before giving Clarke as locked a frame as she could muster for a few seconds before lowering her head back down her body. Clarke pulled on Lexa's head to bring her back up.

"Don't look down, look up!" Clarke instructed, laughing at her own humor. Lexa groaned and flung herself to the ground in defeat, then turned seductively on her side to gaze at her love while the latter continued to sway her hips and dance as if she still had her partner. Their favorite part of the song was coming up; the part they always lip-synched to. Clarke took Sylvia's part and Lexa took Mickey as they dramatically reenacted the singers.

"Sylviaaaaaa!" Lexa mouthed, a smirk playing at her lips.

"Yes Mickey?" Clarke pantomimed in return, still dancing.

"How you call your lover boy?"

Clarke responded with a jerk of her head.

"Come here, lover boy!"

Lexa stayed put, tracing her fingers along a floorboard and looking up innocently.

"And if he doesn't answer?'

"Oh lover boy…" Clarke drawled out, her hands sliding along her legs, knowing the effect it would have. Lexa got onto her hands and knees.

"And if he still doesn't answer?"

Clarke got onto her knees and crawled towards Lexa, their noses tickling.

"Then I simply say…"

_Baby, oh Baby,_

_My sweet baby,_

_You're the one!_

Their hands wandered as the sultry guitar twanged in the background. They might've ended up with quite a few more articles of clothing off when suddenly they heard footsteps pounding up the stairs.

The two broke away just in time before Finn appeared with a record in his hand.

"Oh, hey you two!" he said obliviously. "Clarke, ya taking dance lessons? Hey, I could teach you, kid!"

Finn sauntered over in his privileged-white-boy way and attempted to samba, taking Clarke's waist as she uncomfortably complied, not sure what else to do.

Lexa cleared her throat and her muscles tensed. Finn looked in her direction and pulled away from Clarke as if remembering why he was here.

"Oh, hey Lexa! You're head dance instructor here, right?" Finn asked. Lexa rolled her eyes. She played it off as a nod.

"Great! Listen, I got a new idea for the end-of-End-of-Summer talent show."

Lexa lit up in excitement. The end of the talent show was always a dance, usually led by Lexa herself.

"Yeah, yeah! Wow, I thought we were gonna do the same old boring merengue! Sure, I got a lot of great new ideas! I was thinking we could add in some tap, maybe some jazz mixed in with-"

"Woah, woah, kid," Finn interrupted. Lexa tensed again. She didn't like to be called kid by Finn; he was no older than Clarke and Lexa had three years on her.

"Don't get ahead of yourself. Wait'll you hear my idea, you'll like it even better."

Clarke continued to dance with an invisible partner while watching her suitor degrade her lover, wishing she could intervene.

"I was thinking," he continued, "that instead of doing the merengue, we could do… and get this… we could do… Johnny's mamba!"

A pause. Lexa was tilting her head to the side to make sure she heard right.

"The mamba."

"Yeah, the mamba!"

"Finn," she sighed. "That sounds like the worst damn idea I ever heard."

"Or," Finn continued bitterly, "you could dance whatever the hell Lexa Castle wants to dance and be out of a job next summer."

He shrugged.

"Your call."

Lexa noticed his eyes wandering over her body, as she was wearing a crop top and rather short shorts, so she pulled a t-shirt over her head. Glancing over at Clarke, whom she knew was listening in, she turned to Finn and shook her head.

"Sure, Finny. I'll dance the mamba. It'll be the hit of the night."

Finn winked at her, then turned to Clarke and gazed at her once more before winking at her, too, and taking his leave.

"I'm sorry, Lex," Clarke murmured, walking over to the brunette and running her hands through slightly damp auburn locks.

Lexa asked Clarke if she wanted to have lunch with the staff, and Clarke didn't have anything else planned that day, so she agreed. Feeling brazen on the walk there and noticing the lack of guests, Clarke slipped her hand into Lexa's as they breathed in the warm midday air. Lexa's heart jumped up in surprise – this was the first time anyone, male or female, had ever held her hand in public. When she and Octavia went together their freshman and sophomore years of high school, they'd never dared to do anything like that in public, and even when she'd dated a boy named Jasper her senior year (which was deemed 'acceptable' by society), he'd never dared to be tender with her in public, resorting instead to shoving his tongue down her throat. Thus the gesture, though small, meant the world to Lexa.

Suddenly, Clarke's grip tightened. Lexa looked at her, worry etched in her face.

"Clarke, what's wrong?" Lexa pressed.

"My mother," Clarke replied, seeing her coming down the path in the distance. She grabbed Lexa and shoved her between two cabins. The two waited for her mother to pass before Clarke exhaled all of her tension through a breath she didn't know she was holding. Lexa, however, was yet to release what she was feeling just yet.

"Lexa?" Clarke asked. "She's gone."

"Are you not proud of me?" Lexa asked numbly, not making eye contact. "Are you not proud of me the way Raven is proud of Murphy? Is your mother not proud of me the way she's proud of Murphy?"

"Lexa-"

"No," she interrupted. "I understand. I really do. I'm the kind of girl you sneak around with, not the kind you introduce to your parents."

"No, Lexa, it's just that you're a woman, that's-"

"I have a question for you, Clarke, and answer me truthfully. I won't let you lie to me. If I were a boy, would there be any difference? If I were a boy, could you proudly take me to your mother and say 'look, mom, here's my boyfriend? Here's the man I love?'"

Clarke opened and closed her mouth, and that was all the answer Lexa needed.

"It's okay, Clarke," she muttered. "I understand."

"You know what I'd like to understand?" a nasty voice sneered, and the two women looked up to find that it belonged to the one and only John Murphy.

"I'd like to understand how a girl so beautiful as yourself could waste it all on another lady."

Lexa stiffened, and Clarke fought the urge to plant her fist into Murphy's cheek.

"It's just not natural," Murphy continued. "What a shame, too. I was hoping maybe to ask you out earlier today."

"You're with my sister," Clarke reminded him.

"Breaking up is hard to do," he mused with a shrug. "But I think she'd live. Anyways, that was before I saw the two of you getting cozy in Lexa's dance studio."

Two pairs of eyes bulged, and Murphy laughed.

"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me. On one condition."

Clarke tilted her head, prompting him to go on.

"You have to convince Raven to sleep with me."

"Never!" Clarke replied with a chuckle of disbelief. "I would never, and she would never, and you're a disgusting pig for asking me to!"

"Alright, alright, then why don't you sleep with me, then?"

"Don't you dare," Lexa growled, stepping in front of Clarke. The latter put her hand on Lexa's wrist, knowing the taller woman would swing if given the opportunity.

"Oh, my bad," Murphy said, feigning confusion and apology. "I just assumed Clarke really liked sleeping with resort staff."

Unlike Clarke, Lexa wasn't able to hold back her desire to plant her fist into his cheek. Flinging her wrist from Clarke's grasp, Lexa swung at him and knocked him to his feet with her first hit. Murphy fell on his behind and reached up to staunch a sudden blood flow coming from his lower lip. He glared up at Lexa and got to his feet as Clarke tried to hold back Lexa and many resort staff and a few guests gathered around to watch the events currently unfolding.

"Lexa, stop!" Clarke cried, trying to grab Lexa's shoulder, but knowing when Lexa's back muscles flexed to step back, as her defender was preparing to fly at Murphy again.

After getting in a few good hits and dodging all of her opponents', Lexa literally bent her knees to be closer to the not-so-tough boy (who was getting up from the ground again) to egg him on.

"Hit me," she ordered, gesturing to her face and holding still for him to follow through. "Hit me!"

Murphy did, and Lexa laughed at the weakness behind his punch. She knocked him to the ground and straddled him, preparing to pummel him until his face was unrecognizable, when a shout from Clarke pulled her from her blood lust.

"Lexa, enough!"

Lexa sneered down at Murphy, then stood up and wiped herself off as Clarke ran to her side, shooing away the now intense crowd.

"You're not worth it," she spat as she stumbled away on her lover's arm.

Murphy, however, simply smiled. He finally had a plan to get Lexa Castle fired – and it was going to work beautifully.


	6. Chapter 6

Days went by, and Clarke and Lexa mutually agreed to take things a little slower, for the sake of keeping the affair a secret. The dance instructor was able to get in many more classes and lessons while her student started early on the schoolwork she was anticipating the upcoming year at Arkadia High.

"Hey, Clarke?" Raven asked, stepping into her sister's room. Clarke looked up.

"I wanted to ask your opinion on something."

Clarke looked shocked as she tilted her in confusion.

"You never ask me for advice. On anything."

"Well, I know," Raven shrugged, "but you seem to really know what you're doing with this whole 'love' thing."

Clarke quirked an eyebrow, and Raven giggled.

"Oh, my God, Clarke, you don't seriously think the entire resort hasn't noticed how in love with Lexa Castle you are?"

Clarke felt her face going red as she tried to stammer out a response. Finally, she sighed and looked miserably at her sister.

"That's not a good thing, Raven. What Lexa and I are doing isn't… normal. It's not right, not according to what everyone else says. I really, really like her, but I'm afraid we're going to get into a lot of trouble for it."

Raven smiled and took her younger sister in her arms, holding her tightly.

"Love is love, little sister," she soothed. "And if I know anything about anything, Lexa loves you, back."

Clarke felt her heart flutter a little at that as she pulled from her older sister and smiled.

"So… what did you want to ask me?"

Raven let a gentle smile tilt at the corner of her lips.

"I think I want to go all the way with John."

"John?" Clarke asked incredulously. "Like… like John Murphy?"

Raven nodded, biting her lip.

"Oh no," Clarke insisted. "No, Raven, he's no good. He tried to get me to sleep with him and he and Lexa got into a fight, and-"

"What?" Raven interrupted. "Clarke, you've got it all wrong. John would never-"

"But he did, Raven!" Clarke pressed. "He did, I swear, I was there!"

"You know, Clarke," the older girl spat venomously, "I thought you'd just be happy for me, but you're just upset that you're not the special one anymore!"

She stood up abruptly from Clarke's bed and walked out, heading towards the front door.

"And good luck with your dance lessons," she ground out before leaving the house and slamming the door behind her.

Raven took in a deep, shaky breath as she wandered down the path to the staff's quarters to visit Murphy. She just couldn't figure out why Clarke would want to ruin this for her. Perhaps she was jealous of their open relationship, wishing that she was dating a boy as well? Or maybe she was in love with him, too, and was just stringing Lexa along. Whatever the reason, Raven had a tiny nagging feeling in the back of her mind. When had Clarke ever been wrong? What was more, when had Clarke ever lied?

She took in a deep breath upon finally arriving at her boyfriend's cabin. She stepped up and knocked on the door, taking quiet note of the rag draped over the handle but ignoring it. After waiting for a few seconds, she grew impatient, flung open the door, and…

Two pairs of eyes snapped over to her, one belonging to John Murphy and the other to an older woman she'd seen at breakfasts -- Alie Pressman. Alie was on top of Murphy and the both of them were very, very much in the nude. Murphy looked like he was about to deny or attempt to explain, but Raven simply closed the door, still in shock, and walked away.

John Murphy sighed and brought his hand to his face.

"Didn't she see the goddamn rag on the door?" he grumbled, getting up and putting on his shirt.

"She was too young for you anyway, Johnny," Alie cooed, smirking and continuing to linger in the bed. "You need someone older."

"What, you mean like you?" he snickered.

Alie looked hurt, but shifted and looked at him expectantly.

"Well?" she asked. "You said you had a proposal of sorts? And unless it involves a very large diamond ring, I hope it doesn't involve you getting down on one knee."

"What are your opinions toward Lexa Castle?" Murphy asked, now fully dressed and combing his hair to the side in his cracked mirror.

"Dance instructor?" Alie asked. Murphy looked over and nodded. He could see that Alie meant to ask nonchalantly, but that his questions had, in reality, made her nervous.

"She's cute."

"You tried to sleep with her, didn't you?" he asked. To this Alie snorted.

"She's a dance teacher, darling."

"No, she doesn't teach very much dance at all, and I think you know that," Murphy smirked. "I think you went to her with a large amount of money and she turned you down."

Alie allowed her true emotions to take over her face as her expression melted into a grimace.

"I don't know what changed," she growled. "It wouldn't have been the first time Lexa Castle took her clothes off for me."

Murphy looked surprised.

"Society nowadays may not accept publically gay relationships, sweet boy," Alie explained, "but you'd be surprised how many women have private affairs with other women."

"Regardless, you're not a fan of her?" Murphy clarified.

"No, I'm not a fan."

"What if I told you I had a plan to get rid of her for good?"

The corner of Alie's lip twitched upwards.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

The rain was pounding down on Clarke by the time she had finally reached Lexa's cabin. Raven had come home and apologized profusely, and once the light drizzle had started, both parents returned as well to take an afternoon nap, as all outdoor activities had been canceled. Clarke couldn't help but sneak out the door as soon as their bedroom door was closed.

Her knuckles hadn't even come in contact with Lexa's door before it was flung open, and an already sweaty and flustered Lexa stood before her. Clarke only stared for a moment, and then needy lips sought needy lips.

Lexa lifted Clarke from the ground and the latter wrapped her legs around the brunette's waist. A boot-clad foot kicked the door shut as Lexa carried them further into the room and laid Clarke on the bed before hungrily nibbling on her neck and ears and shoulders (which she quickly exposed) and anything else she could reach. When the need became too much, their clothes were stripped, and they sank passionately into the sheets, clutching one another and moaning each other's names.

When it was done, Clarke sat against the backboard and cradled a brown-haired head to her chest, still breathing somewhat heavily.

"I missed that," Lexa said longingly. "I've been waiting to do that for a week now."

Clarke smiled proudly as she scratched Lexa's scalp and ran thick, brown locks through her fingertips. She kissed her atop her head.

"I have, too."

Suddenly, the undeniable sound of pounding footsteps on porch stairs met their ears. The two women scrambled to get under the covers, Clarke hiding her head completely and Lexa peeking her head out. The expected knock rang out, and Lexa cleared her throat.

"C- Come in."

Bellamy threw the door open and staggered in, and Lexa became a little less worried.

"Where's Clarke?" he asked. Lexa feigned confusion and innocence.

"What do you mean?"

"Cut the shit, Lexa, I know you two are sleeping together."

Clarke crawled up from deep in the covers and waved uncomfortably at Bellamy. He tried not to think about how naked his cousin and his friend were as he plunged straight into his reason for coming.

"Lexa, Alie Pressman's wallet's been stolen, and she's accusing you."

Lexa's eyes popped.

"What? Why?"

"Hell if I know, Lex, but it gets worse: Clarke's mother is convinced that it was you, too, and she's been trying to convince Kane that she's right. And John Murphy claims he saw you do it."

"When?!" Lexa roared, reaching for her clothes and putting them on under the covers before climbing out of bed to push a shaky hand through her hair.

"Murphy's saying he saw you and Alie in the dining room an hour ago, and you took it while she was asking a waiter a question."

"That's impossible, Lexa and I have been here all afternoon," Clarke insisted. She had begun to get dressed under the covers as well, and was covered enough to get up from the bed and not feel uncomfortable in front of Bellamy.

Lexa took Clarke's hand, willing the shorter girl to look into her eyes.

"Clarke, you can't tell them that, they'll know about us."

Before Clarke could protest, though, the sounds of voices met their ears. Clarke recognized three of them as Kane, Finn, and her very own mother.

"…come on, son," she heard Kane say. "Let me show you what it's like to fire an employee."

Lexa's heart skipped as her door was flung open, and the owners of the three voices (as well as John Murphy and Alie Pressman) stood in the doorway.

"Mr. Blake," Kane spat. "Shouldn't you be carrying some watermelons right about now?"

Bellamy swallowed, nodded, and scurried out the door. Kane then turned his attention to Clarke.

"And Miss Griffin, I must say I'm surprised to see you here."

"So am I," Abby added on, shooting daggers at Clarke with her glare.

"Clarke and Bellamy were just asking for my help with the merengue," Lexa covered. "They want to do it for the end of summer talent show."

"Be that as it may," Kane sighed, "we have reason to believe that you have committed theft towards one of our guests, Ms. Castle. Surely you wouldn't mind us searching your quarters?"

"Be my guest, I have nothing to hide," Lexa shrugged, stepping to the side that was intentionally furthest from Clarke. This seemed to fool Kane as he began to inspect the room, but Abby recognized her daughter's undershirt on the ground. Clarke sighed, knowing the situation would become harder and harder to talk her way out of.

"Ms. Castle," Kane said, his head underneath the bed. "Is this your wallet?"

"What?" Lexa shot. "What wallet?"

Kane fished a leather, silk-lined wallet out from under the bed and Alie smirked before rushing forward.

"I take it, then, that this wallet belongs to you," Kane said, handing Alie the wallet before turning to Lexa.

"Ms. Castle, stealing from guests is not condoned. I thought that went without saying."

"Mr. Kane, you can't possibly believe-"

"Lexa, I wish it didn't have to be this way, but you've forced my hand."

"I've been working here for three summers, Mr. Kane. This job keeps me out of trouble."

"Evidently not," Finn interjected, and his father shot him a disapproving look before returning to his employee.

"Lexa, I really am sorry. You're-"

"Wait!" Clarke spoke up. Lexa looked at her and felt her heart race.

No no no no no no Clarke _no_.

"Mr. Kane," Clarke whispered, looking between the Kanes to her mother to John Murphy to Alie and finally to Lexa. "Mr. Kane, Lexa's telling the truth."

"How do you know?" Finn questioned. "Stay out of this, Clarke, this is men's business."

Lexa and Abby both glared – it seemed they had something in common, after all.

"Go on," Kane urged, ignoring his son.

"Mr. Kane, Lexa didn't steal Alie Pressman's wallet an hour ago, and I know that for a fact. And the reason I know that for a fact is because… I was with her. And we were here. In her cabin. We've been here for the past three hours, that wallet was planted under her bed."

Shock swept the faces of everyone in the room, but none was more shocked than Lexa Castle herself.

"Three hours?" Kane asked. "That's a long time. What exactly were you doing in here for three hours?"

Clarke swallowed.

"Dance lessons."

Everyone knew what she meant by 'dance lessons.'

"Is this true, Ms. Castle?" Kane asked, turning to Lexa. The brunette cast a glance towards a fuming Abby Griffin before nodding guiltily.

"See?" Clarke urged. "So you can't fire Lexa for stealing."

"No," Kane agreed. "I can't fire her for stealing."

Murphy, suddenly furious, leaned forward to whisper in Kane's ear. Kane sighed and shook his head before turning back to the couple, their relief short-lived.

"However, I can fire her for inappropriate sexual fraternization with a guest."

"What?!" Clarke roared.

"Sir, please, no," Lexa began to beg, rushing forward and taking her employer's hand.

Murphy and Alie took this as their cue, slinking out, and Finn followed behind them, once again leaving Clarke's presence feeling dejected.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Castle," Kane sighed. "I have always enjoyed having you for an employee. But unfortunately it has come to this, and even if I wanted this to all blow over, we have several witnesses. You're lucky I don't call the court to get them involved, what with the fact that Miss Griffin is a minor and… well… you know, you're both…"

"I understand," Lexa choked out. "Thank you."

"I'm sorry, Lexa. I need you off grounds by noon tomorrow. I'm sure Bellamy will come by to help you pack."

And with that, Kane shuffled out the door, leaving a defeated Lexa, a guilty Clarke, and a furious Abby in his wake.

"Clarke," Abby ground out, "you may say your goodbyes tomorrow, but after that, you are never to speak to this…"

Abby glared at Lexa as she tried to come up with a word to describe her.

"… _girl_ ever again. Are we understood?"

Clarke nodded guiltily, and Abby stormed out. Immediately Clarke fell into Lexa's arms in tears and the older woman soothed the younger with gentle caresses and sweet nothings whispered in her ear.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chap, sorry friends! I'm also sorry to announce that, since this fic is in fact based on an already written film and as I am running out of film to base it on, the next chapter, though it will be quite long, will be the final installment of this story. Thanks to you guys for sticking through till the end <3

Clarke did not help Lexa pack. She felt a little guilty about it, but she didn't want Lexa to see her in such a disheveled state. Instead, she went home to her cabin and, after a brief embarrassing conversation with her mother that involved probing questions like 'did she force you?' or 'do we need to check you for anything?', Clarke went up to her room and cried softly to herself, carrying on into the night, well after her family had fallen asleep.

It was three am when the tiny pebble hit her window.

Clarke rubbed her cheeks, trying to dry away as much of the salty wetness as she could before responding to the call that could've only been from one person. She lifted the window and peered out from her bedroom, the warm summer wind whipping her hair around as she looked down to see Lexa standing at her window from a story below. Clarke couldn't help but smile despite herself.

"Hey, crazy," she stage whispered, and Lexa flashed her a middle finger. Clarke chuckled.

"Can I come in?" Lexa called up, just loud enough.

"Uh… I'd love for you to, but... I mean, you can't come in through the front door-"

That was all the permission Lexa needed to start to climb her way up the drainpipe, clinging to small bits of hanging ivy as she hoisted herself up. Clarke's eyes widened in fear.

"Lexa!" she hissed, still trying to stay as quiet as she could. "Lexa, get down! You'll kill yourself! Jesus Christ!"

Lexa was laughing the whole way as she finally reached Clarke's window, pulled herself into the room, put her hands on each of the shorter girl's cheeks, and silenced her worries with a smirk and a kiss.

Clarke allowed Lexa to win this battle but quickly pulled away so she could have the first pardon shots in the next one.

"Lexa, if my mother catches us up here… I mean, my dad, too… They'll call the police."

Lexa shook her head.

"They won't catch us, baby."

Clarke eased into Lexa's touch, the sweetness of the pet name rolling off Lexa's tongue encouraging her to press her cheek further into the brunette's hand.

"Lexa, where do you live?"

Lexa's jaw clenched and her hands fell from Clarke' face.

"Fairlawn," she responded. "Here in Virginia. And you?"

"Centerville," responded Clarke enthusiastically. "That's not that far away at all."

"But dreadfully far away this summer, and dreadfully far away for a girl whose parents hate my guts," Lexa mumbled.

"Hey, hey," Clarke soothed, taking Lexa's face in her hands. "Lexa, what my parents think of you doesn't matter. And neither does the possibility that we'll never see each other again. I love you, Lexa."

Lexa, who had been avoiding Clarke's eyes, suddenly allowed her eyes to snap up. Clarke looked just as surprised at the admission as Lexa felt, because the tips of her ears were turning red and behind the confidence in her eyes, Lexa could see the uncertainty and worry that the feelings were not requited.

"I love you right now, in this moment," Clarke continued. "And the fact that I may never see you again doesn't mean anything to me right now. You are who I'm supposed to be with tonight, so be with me."

Lexa tucked a stray hand of blonde hair behind Clarke's ear. Leaning in, she stole a kiss from the girl she'd grown so fond of in just a month. After the kiss grew heated – after two shirts and a skirt and a pair of tight black jeans were removed, after they stood before each other in only their underwear, after soft purplish marks peppered both girls' necks, marking their territory – after that was all done, but before Lexa stripped Clarke completely and took her in the small twin-size bed, she whispered an earnest, solemn promise in her lover's ear.

"I love you too, Clarke."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Clarke checked her watch as she and Lexa neared the staff parking lot. 11:47. If Lexa wasn't gone by noon, she'd lose her summer bonus. Luckily, the Chevy Impala had come into view, and Lexa had already thrown her bags in early that morning after reluctantly leaving her lover's bed to get a head start on the day.

They finally reached the car, and Lexa stuck her key into the ignition to start her up without actually getting into the low-riding vehicle. She then turned to Clarke, who held Lexa's leather jacket in one hand her heart in the other.

"Thanks," Lexa murmured as the blonde helped her into her jacket, despite the heat outside. Clarke nodded and chewed on her lip. A slender finger tilted her chin up, forcing her to look into deep, green eyes. They were just as mesmerizing as the first time she'd looked into them.

"I'll never be sorry," Lexa promised, pressing a soft and sweet kiss to the tip of Clarke's nose. The latter smiled and looked down.

"Neither will I."

Lexa swallowed, pressed her lips to Clarke's one last time, and finally broke away from her newfound love.

"May we meet again."

And with that, she got into her car, pushed on her favorite pair of sunglasses, and drove away, off into the sunset.

Well, maybe not quite the sunset. But the way it made Clarke feel, it may as well have been.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fairlawn and Centerville are actual towns that are set very close to Mountain Lake, the resort that Dirty Dancing was filmed at and that Kellerman's is based on!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter babEy!!!
> 
> Thanks for sticking with this flash fic. Hope you guys enjoyed!! If you like my stuff, check out my past work by clicking on my name. I'm currently working on a Harley Quinn/Poison Ivy high school AU and a Lara Croft / Mason Weaver (played by Brie Larson in Kong: Skull Island) cross-over, so give those a looksie if you find the time. Much love!!
> 
> xx Derby

The worst part about Lexa leaving was the fact that it didn't mend Clarke's relationship with her mother. She'd thought that as soon as that gorgeous black Chevy Impala drove away, Abby would wrap her in one of her big hugs and tell her that everything was going to be okay. But instead, Abby continued to avoid her, choosing to spend all of her time devoted to Jake, Raven, or winning that goddamned bingo tournament held every other night at seven.

Abby couldn't sleep at night, knowing that her seventeen-year-old had been deflowered by the dance instructor. Abby wasn't a homophobe, at least not the way that most people were in those days. And she wasn't really that upset that Lexa was a full three years older than her youngest. She didn't even mind that she wore leather jackets and smoked and drank. It was just the fact that Clarke had lied to her that entire summer, about where she was going, what she was doing, everything. It was that Lexa had taken Clarke before Abby could even explain to her daughter what love was. And the fact that the person who took Clarke's virginity was a lesbian 20-year-old that wore leather jackets and smoked and drank didn't exactly help her case, either.

Still, sharing the house with a mopey daughter who spent all of her time reading wasn't what drove Abby out of her house the day before the end-of-summer talent show. No, what drove her out was her oldest daughter's loud, piercing, terrible singing as Raven practiced for her big solo at the end of the night, which would be replacing the final dance typically performed by Lexa and Octavia.

Clarke still slipped out of the house every night after her family went to bed. The night before the talent show was no different. As the little clock on her nightstand hit eleven pm, the blonde slipped out the front door and sprinted the entire way to the staff's quarters, now soothed by the smell of cigarettes, cheap vodka, sweat, and, of course, watermelon.

Clarke's eyes sought out Octavia and Bellamy, smiling at the virtual siblings. They looked as if they'd just been conspiring, the way Octavia's head ducked and Bellamy tried in vain to remove the smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Hey, guys," Clarke smirked, taking a beer from the table they sat on. It'd been five days since Lexa left, and she was starting to learn to enjoy herself again.

"Hey, Clarke, could you come with us?" Octavia asked, although her hand already rested on the blonde's wrist to tug her away. Clarke cast an uncertain glance towards Bellamy, but he just nodded his encouragement. Clarke shrugged and let Octavia tug her back outside and then a quarter mile to Lexa's dance studio.

"What in the hell…? 'Tavia, what are you doing? I don't want to go in there."

"Just listen to us, Clarke," Bellamy instructed. "We have an idea."

"What idea?" Clarke demanded as the two finally situated her in the middle of the studio's room and shut and locked the door behind them. She could still hear the music booming from the staff quarters and just wanted to go back there to be with the friends she'd made through Lexa and to numb her mind with alcohol.

"Well, you know how the end-of-year talent show usually ends with Lexa and I dancing?" Octavia started. Clarke nodded, encouraging her continue. "Well, I was thinking you and I could perform it, since Lexa's gone."

"No, no, we can't," Clarke argued. "My sister's ending the talent show."

"What, with that 'I Feel Pretty' song she won't stop butchering in rehearsals?" Octavia snorted.

"They'll fire you, 'Tave."

"I wouldn't return to this shit job for a million bucks," Octavia declared. "Not after they fired Lexa."

Clarke thought long and hard. She was wearing her old rehearsal Keds, a pair of denim capris, and a white button-down that tied off at her midriff to expose now toned abs (thanks to Lexa, both in rehearsal and out). This was the exact outfit she'd worn at her first rehearsal with the dance instructor. Sighing, she took Octavia's hand and shook it.

"Deal."

The rest of the night was spent dancing away, Octavia taking Lexa's part and Bellamy occasionally stepping in when needed. Clarke was surprised to find he was a pretty good dancer, too, and loved to watch the two make wisecracking jokes at each other, wishing she had a relationship like theirs with her own sister.

Bellamy was on record-switching duty, Octavia worked on Clarke's posture, and together they improved the young performer into something even Lexa had never been able to produce.

The sun was starting to come over the top of the horizon when they were packing up their things and leaving the now instructor-less studio. Bellamy waved goodbye to the two girls before jogging off, and Clarke and Octavia stretched out their screaming bodies.

"Hey, Octavia?" Clarke asked before the brunette walked off to leave Clarke all alone.

"Griffin?"

"Um, thanks for helping me," Clarke stammered. "With Lexa, in the beginning. She might've killed me if you hadn't been there. And thanks for being so patient and understanding."

Octavia smiled.

"I only taught you the way Lexa taught me."

Clarke let a small smile grace her lips. So, the gung-ho dancing guru had been kind and gentle once, after all.

"And besides," Octavia continued, "you did it all for me. You saved my ass. And then saved it again by getting your mom. If it weren't for you, I could be dead."

Clarke shook her head.

"You're too strong for that. I just added a few days to your life span!"

Octavia chuckled before knocking into Clarke's shoulder.

"Good job today." Then, as she was jogging off, "And wear something nice tonight for the talent show!"

Clarke's eyebrow quirked up, but she figured that she'd follow Octavia's advice – it had always helped her before.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Raven did Clarke's hair and makeup for the talent show that night, things now completely mended between the two sisters. She decided to leave the curls in her hair, simply spraying down a few flyaways, Then, she put a soft nude shadow on her sister's lids, a gentle maroon lip gloss on her sizeable lips, and that was that.

Raven didn't sit with the Griffins, as she was needed onstage so much. She wasn't naturally a good singer, but she was the only singer at Kellerman's willing to lend her vocals to any acts that needed them. The two-hour-long performance was uncomfortable for Clarke, firstly because she sat between two very disapproving parents, and secondly because she was nervous about what was to come.

She fidgeted with the cream-colored dress she wore. It was perfect for outward spins, as it flew out around her like a spinning pizza pie, and it tied behind her neck with no straps. Character shoes, the same ones from her first performance with Lexa, were strapped sturdily to her feet. She knew she looked incredible. She just wished she felt incredible, too.

As the final song came on and Raven started to sing at the top of her lungs, Clarke looked over to Octavia. Their eyes met, and Octavia smiled. Clarke waited for the signal. After a few more seconds of listening to the terrible eldest Griffin daughter, Octavia's face lit up as she pointed at the back doors, the sound of them opening accompanying the gesture. Clarke's eyes followed Octavia's finger to see an unexpected familiar face.

Lexa stood in the back of the auditorium. Replacing her usual tight black pants and frilly blouse, the ex-instructor wore a black dress that matched the one Clarke wore almost perfectly, besides in color. Her hair was half pulled back in gorgeous waves and her makeup sharpened her already defined angles. To top it all off, she wore her favorite leather jacket. The brunette before her may have been her old dance partner, but Clarke hardly recognized her. Clarke looked back to Octavia, who was grinning and winking, and knew immediately that this was the plan all along. She looked back to Lexa, whose eyes had found the blonde. She felt the familiar pang in her chest of want and glee and…

And love.

Lexa began to walk towards the table Clarke sat at, and finally, Abby and Jake Griffin noticed. Abby tensed, not knowing what to expect, as the gorgeous older woman reached their table and looked at her head-on.

"Nobody puts her in a corner," Lexa stated, before reaching out for Clarke's hand, taking it, and leading her towards the stage. Abby's mouth opened and closed, then she stood to try to stop the couple. Not, however, before Jake intervened.

"Sit down, Abigail."

Abby was too shocked to argue.

Lexa pounced onto the stage and reached down to help Clarke up as Raven stammered, trying to continue her song before finally giving up, realizing her act was ruined.

"Sorry, Rave," Clarke shrugged, and her sister huffed before storming off, though Clarke knew she'd come right back with a hug and a heartfelt congratulations after the performance she was about to give.

"I'm terribly sorry to interrupt, folks," Lexa said, speaking into the microphone as she gripped Clarke's hand a lot harder than a calm, collected person would be gripping. "Let's give it up for Raven Griffin!"

Halfhearted applause filled the auditorium, and Clarke saw Raven beam from her spot in the audience with her parents. The blonde looked toward Lexa thankfully, proud that she had managed to charm her sister, something that was not quite an easy thing to do.

"Anyway," Lexa continued, "most of you probably recognize me as the head dance instructor here at Kellerman's. Unfortunately, I was fired five days ago. I was fired for falling in love with a woman. Well, I have that woman here with me now and I wouldn't give up what we had this summer for anything in the world. Now, I usually perform the last dance here at the Kellerman's end-of-year talent show, and this year I plan on doing just that."

Clarke gave a gentle squeeze to Lexa's hand to let her know that it was okay. Lexa smiled at her, then dashed over to the wings to hand an expectant Bellamy her .45 record. He helped Lexa shrug the jacket off her shoulders to expose perfectly tanned and toned upper arms. Then, he set the record on the backstage player that was hooked up to all of the speakers in the building.

The song began to play as a playfully Lexa sauntered towards Clarke, using her index finger to beckon her closer. Clarke obeyed and met her halfway. Lexa turned her towards the audience and wrapped her arms around the shorter girl's waist, beginning their routine of the first dance the two had ever performed together.

Everything was perfect, Clarke's angles, Lexa's timing, their synchronism together. They were perfect together, and everyone could see that. By the time Lexa jumped off the stage into the audience, casting a smirk back at Clarke, the entire crowd was on their feet, clapping along.

Lexa continued to dance from the audience, casting glances up at Clarke, seeking approval. She received it, as Clarke couldn't help but throw her head back and let out a laugh before jumping off the stage to follow.

They continued to dance together before Lexa ducked her head to whisper in Clarke's ear.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

"For what?"

Lexa smiled as she released Clarke's waist and walked to the other side of the aisle between the chairs of audience members. Clarke understood. She ran forward, met Lexa, and jumped up as the brunette hoisted her into the air, successfully performing their lift for the first time (without the help of the lake).

The experience was exhilarating. Clarke extended her arms and truly felt like she was flying, the entire room laid out for her. People cheered, people laughed, people danced. It was beautiful and truly breathtaking.

Still, nothing could compare to the feeling of Lexa's hands on her sides as she gently eased her down back to the ground. Looking up the older woman, Clarke smiled and pressed a kiss to her lips.

Abby smiled despite herself. She was just about to step forward to congratulate her daughter when she felt someone tap her shoulder.

"Hello, Doctor Griffin!" John Murphy smiled. "I was just wondering if you had that med school recommendation?"

Abby smiled and dipped her hand into her purse, handing it to Raven's boyfriend. It seemed both of her daughters had found good partners.

"Good luck in grad school, John," she smiled.

"Hey, thanks," Murphy smiled. "And thanks for helping out with that Octavia situation."

"What… exactly are you talking about?" Abby asked, wondering how he could have possibly known about 'the Octavia situation.'

"Oh, well, I just mean that girls like that tend to get mixed up with a lot of different guys all the time," he responded. "That's why I'm glad I found your daughter. I'd never have to go through something like that with Raven."

Abby pried the letter from his hands and ripped it in half before turning on her heels and casting dryly over her shoulder, "good luck in grad school, John."

Oh, well. One of her daughters had found a good partner.

Clarke opened her eyes as she pulled away from Lexa, the crowd around them dancing along to the song. Dance teachers leaped forward and taught the guests the 'dirty dancing' that the youngest Griffin had so learned to love. Green eyes pierced blue ones as the two swayed to the lively music. A tap on the shoulder, however, stirred Clarke from her thoughts, and she turned to find she was face-to-face with her mother. But instead of looking at her, she was looking at Lexa.

"Lexa, right?" Abby asked, and Lexa nodded dumbly, her lips pressed tightly together and her throat bobbing as she swallowed uncertainly. "Lexa. I know you're not the one who got Octavia in trouble, and I know you'd do anything to keep her safe. When I'm wrong, I say I'm wrong."

Abby Griffin pulled a very surprised, very confused Lexa Castle into a great big mama bear hug. Then, turning to her daughter, she tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear.

"You looked wonderful up there."

Clarke let a tear fall as she launched herself into her mother's arms and gripped her tightly.

"Now go, have fun," Abby sighed, pulling away. "Be kids. Be in love."

Abby then walked away, over towards her husband, as the latter pulled her into a dance. Lexa turned back to her dance partner as a smirk crept into the shorter girl's lips.

"So… that was a lot of effort you went through for "some girl." Lexa Castle, are we dating?"

Lexa stammered.

"I… well, if you don't… we don't have to claim any-"

Clarke silenced her with a kiss and a gentle tug on the waist. She pulled away and shook her head.

"I love you, Lexa."

"I love you, Clarke."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All's well that ends well <3

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos are great, but reviews and bookmarks are my crack!
> 
> xx Derby


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